In blood donation in recent years, in addition to whole blood collection in which whole blood is collected from blood donors, component blood sampling (apheresis) has been performed in which the burden on the blood donor's body is made lighter. Component blood sampling is a blood collection method in which a blood component collection system (apheresis system) is used, whereby only specific blood components are collected from whole blood, and the remaining blood components are returned again into the donor's body.
In Patent Document 1, a blood component collection system is disclosed in which blood platelets are collected by centrifugally separating whole blood that is extracted from a blood donor. Such a blood component collection system comprises a blood collection circuit set, which forms a circuit through which blood or blood components to be treated flow, and a centrifugal separation device (blood component separation device) in which the blood collection circuit set is mounted.
The blood collection circuit set is equipped with a plurality of bags for accommodating a blood collection line having a blood collection needle, a band-shaped channel (separator) into which whole blood is introduced, and the blood components, etc., and a cassette connected through a plurality of tubes to the bags. A plurality of flow paths, including a line for introducing blood from a blood donor, a line for transferring the blood components into a bag, a blood returning line for returning uncollected blood components to the donor, etc., are formed in the cassette. When used, the cassette is mounted in a mounting unit disposed in the blood component separation device.